Tag Archives: maritime museum

A major new film opens today, January 7th 2011, in the UK. The King’s Speech is tipped to win a gong or two in the upcoming awards season; possibly even Best Picture at The Oscars. It tells the story of King George VI who suffered from a debilitating speech impediment all his life and the efforts of an eccentric speech therapist, Lionel Logue, to help him overcome his severe stammer so that he can address his people as they stand alone against the all conquering Nazi’s in World War Two.

This microphone was specially made for H.M. King George VI by EMI. It is a Reisz type microphone. The silver cone microphone rests on a desk style stand. The front of the microphone is decorated with a silver rose, leek, thistle and shamrock symbolising the countries which make up Great Britain and Northern Ireland. In the middle of the microphone there is a his gilt cypher, whilst on top there is a gilt coat of arms. The microphone also comes with two accompnaying silver plauqes giving details of the occasions on which it was used. It was first used for the opening of the Maritime Museum at Greenwich on the 27th April 1937. it was last used on July 22nd 1938 for the unveiling of an Austrailian memorial at Villiers Bretonneux in France.

The technical details of the microphone are as follows: KGVl is a moving coil permanent magnet microphone based on the EMI PM 201. It has a 15 ohm coil and gives a good output of half a volt. It is attached to a chromium plated stand. On the top of the chromium ‘headlamp style’ body, is the Royal Coat of Arms. The front of the mic has an unique silver grill bearing the King’s insignia in silver gilt and the makers mark of G.& S.Co.Ltd. (Goldsmiths & Silversmiths Co. Ltd.). It is part of our collection of significant vintage microphones.

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This dog blog is dedicated to the history of recorded music. We are specifically interested in the fine work of the EMI Group Archive Trust but we want to look wider at how the sound got on the rounds and all the widgets that made the digits.

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George Martin on Abbey Road Studios

"...one can sense the presence of the great engineers and producers of the past, long since gone. Names which may mean little to the average man, but great people such as Arthur Clarke, Dougie Larter, Bob Beckett, Charlie Anderson, Walter Legge, Charlie Thomas and my dear own mentor, Oscar Preuss, who taught me so much. These men flew the record industry in open cockpits by the seat of their pants, and paved the way for the modern, jetstream, computerised machine that today's young talents have to guide."